Embodied Breath - Sense Your Ribs & Improve Your Breath

Where our attention and intention go, so does our energy. In this meditation we go within for somatic awareness of the ribs to expand lung capacity, therefore, helping to create ease of movement in the thoracic spine, releasing tension in the back and neck. Also enabling the vagus nerve to transmit a calm and relaxed signal across the vital organs, helping with cellular repair and boosting the immune system.

music Christopher Lloyd Clarke

Reviews

Oh this helped me a lot! To be guided by your gentle approach enabled me to really arrive in my ribcage and open it up to new dimensions.
And now it feels so thankful and awakened there that I am really deeply touched.
🫶🙏

I love a simple, guided breathwork session. Your voice is very soothing and the music was a perfect addition. Thank you! I feel a lot less tense and my breath is certainly deeper and fuller!

I feel expansive and relaxed. I will return to this powerful breathing meditation. Namaste 🙏

Thank you for this thoughtful, insightful practice 🙏🏻🧡🌸

What an unbelievably helpful experience. I have been breathing from my chest of late (covid anxiety, global pain, my own aging) and the shallowness of my breath increases my sense of anxiety. I feel calmer and like I have a new skill to build with good visualizations of what I am trying to achieve. Thank you!!!

Interesting! There’s a lot here. Will have to do this one again!

This was absolutely perfect for my needs, and fills a specific niche that I have tried to find a practice for. I have multiple musculoskeletal issues which make it difficult to move in the mornings especially, but at times throughout the day, too.

Myofascial adhesions in the back of the ribcage that we can't completely release (they are helping hold things in place) make fully expanding the ribcage difficult at times, and over the years I developed some paradoxical breathing patterns as a result. Been working on correcting that now for a while, but while apps that monitor the evenness of breathing by resting your phone on your chest as you breathe are nice, they also tend to provoke a bit of anxiety in me as they often vibrate or make a sound if the breathing is lopsided.

This practice here is beautifully simple and allows me to direct my attention to the back and sides of my ribcage while breathing, without that unwanted potential external feedback. The fact that it is done entirely lying on my back helps with my proprioception and awareness of how evenly my thoracic spine and ribs are contacting the bed (which is quite firm and has a heated top to help relax the muscles in the morning).

I was so tired last night that I fell asleep with the remote in my hand but never got the bed adjusted, so I ended up falling asleep on my side, flat. My husband worked on my back for about 45 minutes until I could roll over independently with only moderate pain - I had locked up on my side, it hurt so much. I've had radio-frequency ablation on the lumbar and cervical spine, but not thoracic, so obviously I felt that far more than the other two regions.

I grabbed my phone and pulled up my back pain Playlist, but the few thoracic spine tracks I have there don't focus quite enough on the ribcage for today's needs. I was tremendously happy to find this practice when I did a search for "ribcage," all the more so because part of my regular daily practice is listening to your "Shine" practice (which is on the majority of my playlists, no matter what they are for). It was wonderful going into a new practice but being familiar with your voice, speaking style, and all else. Like meeting up with a friend for lunch and seeing your friend got a new haircut and color that looks great - a different look, but still the same friend. 😊

I found that I had a bit of trouble coordinating my breath with the expansion, but I expected that since it's something I have been working on. Laying my fingertips lightly on the lower ribcage, spanning across to the sides a little was also helpful for me to direct my attention and receive sensory feedback. My right back ribs were a bit rotated inward from sleeping in my side (I call it "clamshelling"), so laying on my back for this entire practice did allow them to gently move back into a more even plane with the other side. Now if I can just get my diaphragm and lungs to cooperate with each other and inflate fully in sync, I would be one thrilled camper. 😁

Whether that happens or not though, I am so excited and happy I have found this practice you so kindly and generously shared with us here on the Insight Timer app, Sue. The Universe knew what I needed today, and must have guided me right to it and you. 💞

Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.

I see you and the light within you. Be well. 🤲🏻❤🤲🏻

Really good

Thanks Sue, it’s a lovely guidance. I started laughing for no reason, with my in breath. Thanks so much. Stay well. A ☺️🌸

Lovely Sue, a peaceful session, thank you! 🌈💖✨✨✨